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The New BMW i8 Changes the Face of Hybrid Luxury Vehicles

Stick the Batmobile’s tailpipe into a circuit breaker and you get the BMW i8, a truly electrifying sports car that’s easy on the eyes and the environment. With the silky, sexy lines of a Bugatti Veyron and the plug-in power of a Tesla, the i8 is redefining what it means to be green. But unlike the Elon Musk–mobile, the i8 doesn’t run on electricity alone. Instead, the front wheels are powered by an electric battery while the back run off a three-cylinder, twin-turbocharged engine, which means this hybrid packs 357 horses that can gallop at astounding speeds (0–60 in 4.2 seconds).

By 2020, BMW claims it’ll have up to 750 horses packed into the i8, allowing it to push speeds that’ll snap your eyelids back like window blinds. Beyond its eco-friendly footprint, one must marvel at the i8’s futuristic design. Made of lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber–reinforced plastic, the i8 epitomizes aerodynamics.

Even its vents are designed to open and close strategically to minimize unneeded drag. Its doors open butterfly-style to reveal an interior drenched in sophistication. Slide behind the wheel: Its hybrid engine purring with power, the i8 leaves little question that the future is here. Herb Chambers BMW of Boston, 1168 Commonwealth Ave., 617-731-1700